Doesn't it give you a warm feeling? Isn't it just what rock'n'roll is all about -- ruthlessly controlled publicity for a corporate sponsor, the performers you love dutifully line up to offer their tribute to a credit card firm. Musicians putting down their guitars to suckle at the corporate teat.

There's always going to be a tension between people in PR, who want to push a specific message on behalf of a client, and journalists, who are actually meant to question that message.

The Brits' PR team has managed to achieve a couple of things: They've provided plenty of material for students researching how not to publicise something, and they've also guaranteed their carefully constructed, corporately-approved, hashtag, is getting an awful lot of mentions on twitter:

Really chuffed to be heading out this lunchtime to score some heroin and rent boys with my new credit card! #PricelessSurprises